A TRIAL is under way to determine whether a man caught camping on a remote property near Bundarra knew he was helping to cultivate more than 1000 cannabis plants.
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Huu Nguyen, who speaks no English, was arrested along with two other men on December 2, 2012 after police commenced a surveillance operation on a gully on the banks of Georges Creek.
In a fenced-off area in the gully, police located 1022 plastic pots each containing small cannabis plants, with some 4000 other pots containing dirt in the same area.
The fenced-off area was estimated to be about three acres.
Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr said police also located a “sophisticated watering system” which was operating on the site, with a pump piping water to each of the cannabis plants from the creek.
A large two-room tent was also found nearby, with air mattresses, food, personal items and a gas fridge, leading police to believe the three men were temporarily residing there.
Nguyen and the two other men complied with police investigations following their arrest, consenting to the provision of fingerprints and DNA samples.
In his opening address, Mr Kerr told the jury his task was to prove that Nguyen knew he was cultivating the cannabis plants, and that he knew there were more than 1000 of those plants.
“This is a circumstantial case,” Mr Kerr said.
He said there was no correspondence, such as recorded phone calls or text messages, that proved Nguyen had knowledge he was cultivating cannabis or the number of cannabis plants being cultivated.
Kerr did say that Nguyen’s DNA was found on a pillowslip and a toothbrush in the tent, and his fingerprints were found on other items in the tent.
Nguyen’s barrister Greg Jones also addressed the jury, explaining that they only focus on the two points of contention in the case.
“His fingerprints were not found on any item seized directly connected to the cultivation of cannabis,” Mr Jones said.
A Vietnamese translator was present for the trial, relaying the proceedings to Nguyen in the dock.
Jurors will hear from witnesses, including the son of the property owner who alerted the police after noticing the setup on his land near Bundarra, called “The Basin”.
Two police officers will also be called to the stand.
The trial is expected to take two to three days.
